April 25, 2011

In the End I Made It Up

I started with a pattern in French, which as one reader helpfully pointed out before I started the project, gets a little funky in the larger sizes; decided to make some changes (beyond the sizing issues); looked to another pattern for inspiration; did a little adjusting on my own; and eventually just made the whole thing up.

But it worked out! So that's happy!

Here's what I wanted: a sleeveless spring dress for my seven-year-old that only buttoned in the yoke (not all the way down the back). So basically I used a sleeveless dress pattern, cut two front skirts instead of a front and two backs, and altered the back yoke so that the button bands worked out alright just buttoning from the skirt up.

It's a really simple style, so it wasn't too hard to figure out how to change things around (even for me!).

But the very best part of the dress, in my humble opinion, is that fabric! Don't you think? I bought it from This and That From Japan, via Etsy (along with a number of other goodies including a Japanese craft book I can't wait to dive into), to help support relief efforts there.

Welcome! This little blog is here to inspire you to start another project. Go ahead, let that WIP basket overflow! Usually the patterns featured here can be found in my little shop, where I've collected the brightest, shiniest and loveliest treasures.